University of Groningen
The influence of load on tendons and tendinopathy
Maciel Rabello, Lucas
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Publication date:
2019
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Citation for published version (APA):
Maciel Rabello, L. (2019). The influence of load on tendons and tendinopathy: Studying Achilles and
patellar tendons using UTC. Rijksuniversiteit Groningen.
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I would first like to thank who is most important: GOD. Thank You for blessing me and my family during all these years. Thank You for giving me the strength and the knowledge necessary to achieve my dreams and my goals.
The PhD career is special, joyful but also difficult, especially when you are abroad, far from your family and friends. But that can be easier when you are surrounded by lovely people who support you. In the last four years I met several people who became very important to me. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them all.
I would like to start by thanking my supervisors: Prof. Hans Zwerver and Prof. Ron Diercks.
Hans, I remember the day that I meet you in person for the first time and you introduced
me to the ‘stroopwafel’ (I confess that I did not like the first one, but after eating five I have learned how to appreciate this typical Dutch treat). But you introduced much more than that though: you introduced me to the ‘tendon world’. Thank you for your support during this period and all your effort to make it happen. I also appreciate every moment, during the conferences, that you were by my side before an oral presentation. It was real pleasure to work with you at the Tendinopathy Clinic (a great clinical experience!).
Dear Ron, thank you so very much for giving me the opportunity to study at the University
of Groningen. Thank you for always being available to share your knowledge and your passion. And thank you for signing and completing all the forms related to my scholarship from Brazil, before and during my PhD.
I had also two amazing co-supervisors that guided me through the PhD path, Dr. Inge van den Akker-Scheek and Dr. Michel Brink.
Inge, it was a great pleasure working with you. I learned so many things about research
and science, but with you I also learned the importance of balancing work and family time. Very frequently you asked me about my life outside the hospital/academia, asked if I needed anything and also suggested places to go with my wife to enjoy our time in the Netherlands. I am grateful that you were always available for a discussion, even when you moved to Scotland, for example. Thank you for all your support during those four years.
Michel, after collaborating with you my supervisors and I decided that you would
contribute a lot to my PhD journey. I am glad that you accepted our invitation and joined us. You were always very critical, but I knew it was because you wanted to show me that I could do better. Thank you for all your most sincere feedback and all your support. Hans, Ron, Inge and Michel, you have all my respect and I will never forget what you’ve done for me during my PhD path. I am very proud to say that you were my supervisors. Dear members of the assessment committee, Prof Lemmink, Prof Vitvrouw and Prof Dijkstra, thank you for taking the time and effort to read and assess this thesis.
178 | Acknowledgements
In the last four years I made some friends, and there is one in particular: Mathijs van Ark.
I remember that I contacted you from Brazil and you tried to help me find a place to stay in Groningen. When I arrived here you were writing your thesis, so you were very busy. But you still dedicated some hours to teach me how to use the UTC and analyse the images. Thank you very much for all this technical support. But you also became a friend. It was very nice going out with you for a beer, to dinner, even to cheer for Brazil during the World Cup. Thank you for everything that you did.
I also would like to thank Astrid and Bas, PhD candidates who shared the office with me
when I arrived at UMCG. When one moves to another country the first months are the worst, but if you have nice colleagues things are easier. Thank you for the coffee breaks and the chats at the office. I also would like to thank Henk for the support when I arrived
in Groningen and for the great moments in Monaco during the IOC Conference.
For a few months I had difficult moments working alone at the office. I had no one to talk to. But things changed when two guys arrived, Oliver Dams and Hamed Mousavi.
Olivier, thank you for being a friend since you arrived. You are a very special person –
a very young MD/PhD candidate (still finishing your medical studies) but with a lot of knowledge to share. Thank you for always asking if I was okay. After all these years I know that I can count on you. Thanks for sharing some special moments like performing UTC in a cadaver or travelling to London for a master class. Sometimes I thought that you were a little bit crazy, like when you’d go for a run outside in the middle of winter (and you invited me to join you, but that would be too much for a Brazilian!).
Hamed, we are both international PhD candidates living in the Netherlands with our
families. We spent hours talking about Brazil and Iran (I learned so many interesting things about your country and your people). But we also discussed a lot about science and about our projects. Thank you for all the moments together. You and your family deserve all the best.
I also would like to express my gratitude to people who collaborated with me: Roy Stewart
who helped me a lot with statistics. Omar, thank you for inviting me to join your master
project, it was a pleasure working with you. Sophie, thank you for the opportunity to work
with you in the marathon project. Ireen and Danny, thank you for your support during the
Tendinopathy clinic. Seth O’Neil, my thanks for sharing your knowledge about tendon
and UTC, it was a real pleasure to meet you and write a paper with you. Physio students
Niels and Joost, thank you for the opportunity to collaborate during your final project.
Also thanks to the medical students Ymkje, Bennet and Eleanor. Thank you Marnix,
who gave me technical support every time I needed it. Ruth Rose (English reviewer),
thank you for all your work during the last four years (you did not revise this part of my acknowledgements, surprise!).
I had a great time at the Sportmedisch Centrum. Thanks to all the staff from the Sportmedisch Centrum UMCG!
I would like to thank all participants who accepted to be part of the scientific studies
that I conducted in collaboration with my colleagues, and all patients that I saw at the tendinopathy clinic.
Making this dream come true would not be possible without the support of my family. Mãe (Beth) e Pai (Heleno); Vó Elza and Tio Osvaldo; and my brother Mateus and my
sister-in-law Silvia, thank you very much for all your support over the last few years, even
when I decided to move to another country and live far away from home. Thanks for always being by my side. I am glad that moving to Europe encouraged you to travel and visit different places around the world! Thank you for sending gifts/Brazilian foods from Brazil to Groningen every year! Love you!
I am so grateful for the support from my family from Três Rios (all my ants/uncles and
cousins).
There are also some friends that I would like to thank: Lucas Zoéga and Juliana (I feel
really sad when I remember that I couldn’t attend your weeding), Mariana and Lucas Sardo (and now, also Giovana), my best friend from Ariquemes Alessandro, and all the
support that I received from the Vida de Pós-graduando group. In Groningen I met a very
special person (and now my friend) from Brazil, Emanuel. We were alone when we arrived
in Groningen and during the first year we had a lot of great moments together – thank you for sharing them with us.
And finally, I have a very special message for a person who decided to live by my side every day, Jenifer (my lovely wife). Jheny, thank you so very much for everything that you
did over the last few years. During this period there were a lot of challenges that made both of us stronger. You were by my side, in the good and the bad moments. But I am glad that we had a lot to celebrate. My amazing experience only happened because you were there. The last four years wouldn’t have been the same without you. For everything that you did since we met, there aren't words to express my gratitude for you. Thank you for your unconditional support! Love you! – ‘And darling I will be loving you 'til we're 70’ (Ed Sheeran).
